Businesses that migrate unofficial WhatsApp API setups to coexistence bring the number their customers already know to the official WhatsApp Business API without taking it off the phone. The business connects the WhatsApp Business app to the Cloud API through a Meta partner and automates within Meta’s rules.
This guide covers the prerequisites, the connection steps, what happens to contacts and old automations, the opt-in you need to start sending again, and a checklist for switchover day.
Key Takeaways
- Coexistence connects the number already on the WhatsApp Business app to the Cloud API, and it keeps working on the phone.
- Before connecting: WhatsApp Business app version 2.24.17 or later, unofficial sessions closed, and the number off the API and other platforms.
- Flows, lists, and blasts from the old tool do not migrate. They become an AI agent on the API and approved templates sent only to opted-in contacts.
- When the operation needs more than 20 messages per second or works only through the platform, a dedicated Cloud API number tends to fit better.
Why Leave an Unofficial WhatsApp API
Leaving an unofficial WhatsApp API means replacing automation built outside Meta’s rules with a connection Meta itself offers. For businesses that want to keep their number, coexistence is the path that preserves the app and the chat history.
From Automated WhatsApp Web to the Official API
Unofficial tools usually automate a WhatsApp Web or app session without going through the official platform. The risks, from bans to lack of support, are covered in the guide unofficial WhatsApp API vs official API.
Businesses that have already received warnings or blocks will find causes and recovery steps in the article on a banned WhatsApp number. The focus here is different: a practical roadmap to move your current number to the official API, without starting over with your customers.
Why Coexistence Keeps the Number
Meta calls the feature onboarding WhatsApp Business app users, also known as coexistence. The business connects the number it already uses in the app to the Cloud API and keeps chatting from the phone, with history synced on both sides.
In practice, customers keep talking to the same number, and automation runs on the official API. The complete WhatsApp coexistence guide explains the feature in detail. This article covers the migration for businesses coming from an unofficial tool.
Coexistence Without Losing Your Number: What Stays and What Changes
Under coexistence, the number stays on the WhatsApp Business app, but some app features behave differently. Knowing what stays and what changes avoids surprises for the team and for customers on the first day after the switch.
What Stays the Same in the App
According to Meta’s documentation as of October 2026, groups, voice and video calls, catalog, Status, and the business profile stay in the app with no change. These features, however, do not start working on the API after the connection.
The business can also keep up to four linked devices, such as WhatsApp Web. Only WhatsApp for Windows and WhatsApp for Wear OS are not supported. The primary phone remains the center of the account, not the platform.
What Changes After the Connection
In one-on-one chats, disappearing messages, view once, and live location are turned off. Broadcast lists become read-only, and new lists cannot be created in the app after the migration. The guide to WhatsApp coexistence groups and broadcast lists covers each feature.
Templates can only be sent through the Cloud API, never from the app interface. Speed has a ceiling too: according to the throughput documentation, a coexistence number has a fixed 20 messages per second, counting both sent and received messages.
Prerequisites Before You Migrate
The migration has three prerequisites: the number on an updated WhatsApp Business app, no active unofficial session, and no registration of the number on the API or another platform. Each one prevents a known error during the connection.
Number on an Updated WhatsApp Business App
Meta requires WhatsApp Business app version 2.24.17 or later. Businesses running unofficial automation on regular WhatsApp must first move the number to the Business app; otherwise, the flow returns a “number not registered” error.
According to the official list of Embedded Signup errors, eligibility also depends on activity in the app, and Meta does not publish a minimum period. A number linked to a Facebook Page must be unlinked first, in Meta Business Suite.
Shut Down Unofficial Sessions and Automations
In the app, open the list of linked devices and log out the session used by the unofficial tool. It also helps to pause flows, scheduled blasts, and auto-replies configured in that tool before switchover day.
At connection time, Meta unlinks every device linked to the number. Even so, shutting down the tool first prevents messages from firing mid-process and makes it clear that nothing unofficial gets linked again afterward.
Number Off the API and Other Platforms
A number already registered on the Cloud API must be deregistered first. After disconnection, Meta notes it can take up to 3 minutes for the number to become available. If it is linked to another coexistence partner, disconnect it in the app and wait 15 minutes.
A WhatsApp Business account that uses the Marketing Messages API does not work for this flow either. The codes and official fixes for each case are collected in the guide to WhatsApp coexistence errors.
How to Migrate Unofficial WhatsApp API Setups to Coexistence: Step by Step
To migrate from an unofficial API to coexistence, the business connects the WhatsApp Business app to the Cloud API through the Embedded Signup flow of a Meta partner. The process takes a few steps in the browser and on the phone.
Choose the Partner That Makes the Connection
The connection is made by a Solution Partner or a Tech Provider that offers Embedded Signup inside its own platform. Meta requires that partner to already use the Cloud API and have webhooks to receive account events. ConverZAP is a Meta-verified Tech Provider and offers this flow in its app through the “Number already using the WhatsApp Business app” option.
Confirm that the partner already uses version 4 of Embedded Signup: according to Meta, version 2 will be deprecated on October 15, 2026. It is also worth asking how the partner receives messages sent from the app and how it flags dropped connections.
The Steps in Signup and in the App
In Meta’s documentation as of October 2026, the flow for existing WhatsApp Business app users follows this order, with small variations depending on the version the partner uses:
- Log in with a Facebook account and choose or create the business portfolio.
- Choose the option to connect an existing WhatsApp Business app account.
- Enter the number that is on the app.
- Confirm the connection in the app, with a code or a QR code, depending on the flow version.
- Decide, in the app, whether to share the chat history.
- Finish signup and keep the app open during the sync.
In the current version, confirmation arrives in the app as a message from the official “Facebook Business” account, with buttons to connect to the Business Platform. No step asks you to delete the app account, and that is what keeps the number.
How to Confirm the Connection Worked
At the end, the WhatsApp Business app updates on its own and shows that the number is connected to the API. On the technical side, the partner checks on the API that the number shows up on both the app and the Cloud API.
The final test is simple: a message sent from another phone must appear in the app and on the platform, and a reply sent from the platform must appear in the app. Only then should the new automation be turned on.
Keep your number and add the official API
ConverZAP, a Meta-verified Tech Provider, connects your WhatsApp Business app number through coexistence. The phone keeps working, and the AI agent and team inbox run on the official API.
Try it free with your own numberSee how it worksContacts, History, and Old Automations: What to Do
Contacts and one-on-one chats can move to the official platform; automations, lists, and blasts from the old tool do not migrate and must be rebuilt. Separating these two groups is the heart of planning a migration with the same number.
Contacts and Chat History
Coexistence can sync contacts that have WhatsApp and, if the business allows it, one-on-one chats from the last six months. Groups are left out, and media arrives complete only if it was sent in the 14 days before the connection.
The partner has 24 hours to run this sync, which can be requested only once. Exporting anything useful from the old tool before the cutover, such as tags and notes, avoids losing data that Meta does not sync.
Automations, Lists, and Groups
Chatbot flows, auto-replies, and batch sends from the unofficial tool are not transferred to the API. Each one gets a new home within the official API, as the table below summarizes.
| Feature used before migration | Where it goes after migrating to coexistence |
|---|---|
| Chatbot or automated flow | An agent or flow connected to the Cloud API through the partner’s platform |
| Bulk blasts | Approved templates sent through the API only to opted-in contacts |
| App broadcast lists | Become read-only; bulk sending moves to templates |
| Automation in groups | Does not migrate: groups stay in the app, with no Groups API on coexistence |
| App greeting and away messages | Stay in the app; review them so they do not reply alongside the agent |
| Labels and quick replies | Stay in the app, with no API integration |
Groups need attention: the Cloud API Groups API is not available for coexistence numbers. The app’s automatic greeting and away messages stay active and can fire alongside the agent, producing two replies.
Conversations Open on Switchover Day
The API customer service window opens only when the customer writes after the connection. Conversations received before it can only be answered through the API with a template, as the guide to WhatsApp message templates explains.
The simplest fix is to reply from the app itself, which does not follow the 24-hour window. Messages sent from the app remain free and do not open, extend, or affect Cloud API windows or billing.
Opt-In and Templates to Start Sending Again
After migration, campaigns resume only with recorded opt-in and Meta-approved templates. This is the biggest change for businesses that sent batch messages through the unofficial tool without any prior content review.
A Synced Contact Is Not Opt-In
Meta’s official opt-in guide requires permission before any message. The person must have provided the number and agreed to receive messages from that business, which must be clearly identified by name.
So an imported or synced list is not the same as a consented base. The WhatsApp opt-in guide shows how to record permission in line with Brazil’s data protection law (LGPD), and similar rules apply under GDPR in the EU.
Your First Approved Templates
Templates are message models classified as marketing, utility, or authentication. According to Meta’s template documentation, they can only be sent once approved, and review can take up to 24 hours.
Create your templates before switchover day, starting with transactional ones. The guide to WhatsApp message templates explains each category with examples you can adapt to your operation.
Ramp Up Volume Gradually
Messaging limits start at 250 unique users every 24 hours and rise in steps to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000, and unlimited. Businesses onboarded through Embedded Signup start with the standard limits.
Increasing volume gradually helps protect the quality rating, explained in the WhatsApp quality rating guide. The campaign playbook is in the guide to WhatsApp bulk messaging with the official API, with segmentation and unsubscribe.
Cutover Checklist: Migration Day
Migration day is when the unofficial tool is shut down and the number starts running on the official API through coexistence. A three-stage checklist shortens the time customer service goes uncovered.
The Day Before
- Update the WhatsApp Business app on the primary phone.
- Export contacts, tags, and notes from the old tool.
- Review the base and separate contacts with recorded opt-in.
- Submit your first templates for approval.
- Tell the team when the switch will happen.
Pick a quiet time of day. Decide at this stage which phone will be the primary device, ideally one the team uses every day, not a phone kept in a drawer.
On Switchover Day
- Pause flows and blasts in the unofficial tool.
- Log out its session under linked devices.
- Connect the number through the partner’s Embedded Signup.
- Keep the app open during the sync.
- Test messages in both directions.
- Turn on the agent and the service rules.
Replying from the app to conversations that arrived before the connection keeps customers from going unanswered. If something fails, the flow’s error codes point to the cause before any new connection attempt.
During the First Week
- Open the app on the primary phone regularly.
- Check that customer messages reach both the app and the platform.
- Track template approvals and the quality rating.
- Adjust the agent’s replies based on real conversations.
The connection drops when the primary phone is inactive for about 14 days, according to the account_update webhook reference. The guide to WhatsApp coexistence and WhatsApp Web explains how to keep the phone and linked devices active.
When a Dedicated Cloud API Number Makes More Sense
A dedicated Cloud API number makes more sense when the operation needs more speed, features coexistence does not offer, or customer service that does not depend on the phone. In this model, the number lives only on the API.
Signs That Coexistence Is Not Enough
- Blasts that need more than 20 messages per second; the standalone Cloud API starts at 80 and can reach 1,000 when the number is eligible.
- A need for groups or calls on the API, which do not work with a coexistence number.
- A team that works only through the platform, with nobody using the primary phone.
- A wish to separate the campaign number from the customer service number.
The comparison WhatsApp coexistence vs Cloud API breaks the choice down criterion by criterion, and the WhatsApp Cloud API guide explains how to start with a dedicated number. Both paths are the official API; what changes is where the number lives.
Banned or Ineligible Number
If the number was banned while on the old tool, the first step is a review request to WhatsApp, not the migration. Without the account restored, there is no active number in the app to connect, and the path becomes a new number.
A number rejected for lack of eligibility can get more use in the app and try again later. When time matters, a new number directly on the Cloud API tends to be the fastest path for the operation.
Replace the Unofficial API With the Official One and AI Agents
Replacing an unofficial API with the official one does not mean giving up automation: the AI agent now replies through the Cloud API, within Meta’s rules. Under coexistence, it shares the same number with whoever answers from the app.
AI Agent and Team on the Same Number
Every message sent from the app triggers an echo event to the platform. This lets the platform detect when a person has taken over the conversation and stop the agent from replying, avoiding duplicate answers.
An AI agent integrated with your CRM checks orders, schedules, and records before replying. The guide to human and AI customer service shows how to split the work, and the one on WhatsApp multiple agents helps organize the team.
How to Start on the Official API With ConverZAP
ConverZAP, a Meta-verified Tech Provider, connects your WhatsApp Business app number through coexistence inside its own app and runs on the official WhatsApp API: AI agents that take action, a team inbox for multiple agents, and template campaigns with opt-in and unsubscribe, with no automation outside the rules. Recent one-on-one history (up to 6 months) can be imported in the first 24 hours.
Messages you send from the phone show up in the ConverZAP inbox as “Sent from phone”, and the AI agent pauses so it doesn’t reply over you. The coexistence setup guide shows activation, the free trial already includes connecting your own number, and the pricing page lists features and prices. For Brazilian numbers, the cost calculator (Brazil, in Portuguese) estimates the Meta bill.
FAQ About Migrating From an Unofficial API to Coexistence
No. Coexistence starts from a number registered on the WhatsApp Business app; with regular WhatsApp, the flow returns a “number not registered” error. After the connection, registering the number again on regular WhatsApp breaks the link to the API.
Most likely. In 2025 Meta’s documentation listed unsupported countries, including the EU and the UK, but that list shrank in November 2025 and no longer appears in the documentation as of October 2026. Brazil was never on it. Because an official error for unavailable regions still exists, the partner confirms the number’s eligibility at connection time.
Messages sent from the app remain free; API messages follow Cloud API pricing. From October 1, 2026, Meta charges for service messages and for utility messages inside the 24-hour window, with 1,000 free service messages per phone number each month, according to the official non-template message pricing page. The guide to WhatsApp coexistence pricing breaks down the numbers.
Meta does not publish a total timeline. The connection takes a few steps, the history sync can take several minutes with the app open, and each template review can take up to 24 hours.
The API connection is dropped and, on the new registration, the app offers to reconnect the products that were linked. If the option is kept, automatic reconnection happens within a few minutes, but history from that gap is not synced.
Yes. The business disconnects in the app itself, under Settings > Account > Business Platform. The Deregister API cannot be used for coexistence numbers, and connecting another partner requires waiting 15 minutes.
Yes. After closing the unofficial tool’s sessions and with the number on an updated WhatsApp Business app, the business connects the number in ConverZAP through the “Number already using the WhatsApp Business app” option, which opens Meta’s Embedded Signup. The number keeps working on the phone.
